Martin Sheen Has Harsh Words For Progressives Critical Of Obama

Martin Sheen has no love for progressives who criticize President Obama. (AP)

During the Bush Era, "West Wing" President Jed Bartlet offered left-wingers a refuge from reality—much as Fox News does for conservatives today.

But Martin Sheen, who turned his late-career turn as Bartlet into his signature role, had already been a liberal icon for decades before the show, thanks to his political activism and his performances in counterculture classics such as"Apocalypse Now."

Today, however, Sheen finds himself frustrated with fellow progressives over their disappointment that Barack Obama’s real presidency hasn’t matched the heights of his imaginary one.

“It’s unrealistic,” Sheen told The Huffington Post Canada in a backroom at Montreal’s Theatre St-Denis after speaking at Free the Children’s latest We Day youth rally. “I wonder how many of those progressives are black? How many of those progressives understand historically what happened?

“There’s one face in that crowd that night in Lincoln Park that was the expression of absolute miraculous reality when Barack Obama took the stage with his family as president-elect. Did you see that night when they showed Jesse Jackson?” he asked, mentioning the civil rights icon who spoke earlier at the same event. “I wonder how disappointed Jesse is with Barack Obama?”

Sheen dismissed the complaint from the left that Obama has failed to match the intense umbrage of his Republican opponents. “People say he ought to start getting mad and start yelling at these people,” Sheen said. “He didn’t get here by showing an angry man; this is a very important job. The whole world is watching every move, listening to nuance that he breathes in public.”

The actor pointed his finger squarely at Republicans for Obama's problems, arguing that they have been an unprecedentedly obstructionist congress, especially since the 2010 mid-term elections.

“It’s been fighting tooth and nail to get anything on the table with these morons,” Sheen groused, adding that the GOP is being directed by the Tea Party, which he called “the professional against-ers who are really to be identified as radical extremists who have no agenda and no purpose.”

As for the Republican candidates currently battling it out for the chance to challenge Obama in the general election -- a field which remains crowded after Rick Santorum claimed three states, Mitt Romney six and Newt Gingrich one on Super Tuesday -- Sheen isn't concerned.

“It does not shift the balance of reality. You can listen to any one of those four nominees talk about the [economic] situation and none of them is really in touch with what the hell people are facing, you know? They keep knocking the president, and yet they can’t find any fault with him regarding the specifics of the programs that he’s initiated in opposition to them.”

Despite the seemingly never-ending Republican primary, Sheen said he predicts Romney will wind up the ultimate nominee. But the actor said the former governor of Massachusetts will enter the general election hamstrung by what he’s had to say to compete in Tea Party-influenced primaries.

“Who the hell is going to be able to really believe anything Romney says when he stands next to someone who comes from a place and stands for it and risks his life to achieve it? You know, Obama rarely raises his voice, but he rises to every occasion

“Of course, he’s going to win. When he gets Romney one on one then you’ll see the quality of the man, where he comes from, what he stands for and where he wants to take us. Romney’s got a big wallet and a lot of campaign rhetoric, but what’s he going to stand on when he stands next to Obama and debates?”

Besides, Sheen said, progressives can also take heart that Occupy Wall Street has halted the rightward swing after the mid-terms and set Obama up to knock the pins down during the election.

“I cannot begin to tell you how encouraging and refreshing the Occupy Movement is to us old-timers, because it came about from a totally new, unconnected generation to us. It came of its own volition, dealing with its own issues. This message that, ‘we are divided in a lot of very fundamental ways. There’s the 1 percent and the 99.’ That is on the agenda now. That cannot be erased.

“It’s like you cannot un-ring the bell. They rang the bell on Wall Street, if you will, and that clang reverberated around the world.”

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Super Tuesday Winners & Losers(CLONED)

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Despite the hype surrounding Super Tuesday, few of the contests were actually interesting to follow. With most of the 10 states written off as all but decided weeks ago, political observers were left with one hotly contested race: Ohio.
The state was touted as "must-win" and "make-or-break," as a win for Rick Santorum or a loss for Mitt Romney would make big waves in the Republican primary contest.
The race in the Buckeye State proved to be the night's most interesting, as Romney and Santorum remained neck and neck as the results rolled in.

Limbaugh came under fire after calling Georgetown Law student Sandra Fluke a "slut" on his popular syndicated radio show last week. The backlash was almost immediate, with many politicians repudiating Limbaugh's comments. Soon, dozens of sponsors decided to pull advertising from his show.
Limbaugh's comments dominated the news cycle leading up to Super Tuesday, calling attention to the contentious and often highly personal nature of the contraception debate that has been a mainstay of the Republican primaries.

Leading up to Tuesday's primary in the Old Dominion State, Romney had the support of two key GOP leaders: Gov. Bob McDonnell and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor.
Picking primary winner Romney may have been an easy choice for Cantor and McDonnell. However, Ron Paul, the sole Romney opponent on the Virginia ballot, defied expectations with a fairly strong showing in the state.
Earning 41 percent of the vote, the Texas congressman picked up a fewdelegates in Virginia.

It may have been the biggest single day of the political season so far, but voters seemed underwhelmed in many of the key Super Tuesday contests.
Exit poll data showed that many voters held reservations about the candidate they voted for, indicating that they were not very excited about the GOP pool overall. Additionally, many precincts reported decreased voter turnout compared to years past.
As President Barack Obama continues to poll well against the Republican field nationally, the lack of fervor for the current crop of candidates may renew calls by GOP operatives for another Republican to jump in the fray.

Exit polls showed that independent voters played a key role in Ohio's close race, with a significant number of unaffiliated voters swaying toward Santorum.
HuffPost reported:
Former Sen. Rick Santorum has been largely viewed as one of the conservative alternatives to ex-Gov. Mitt Romney. The argument has been that Romney's business experience and moderate tone could attract independents and swing voters in the general election against President Barack Obama.
But Super Tuesday, exit polls show independents went for Santorum in Ohio. Santorum attracted 35 percent of independents, compared with Romney's 31 percent.

Romney won Ohio and a majority of Super Tuesday delegates, but doubts about his campaign continue as grassroots favorites made the night difficult.
Santorum made a strong showing in the Buckeye State, on top of his wins in Oklahoma, Tennesseee and North Dakota, while Romney continued to fall short among crucial evangelical voters.
Even in Virginia, where Romney was in a two-way race with Paul, the Texas congressman grabbed 41 percent of the vote and won among late-deciders.
The Romney campaign marches on, and the baggage is coming right along with him.